The process of constructing a poured concrete wall or structure has conventionally required forms to be created on site or at non-construction site location, wherein the concrete forms may consist of wood, metal, plastic or wood/metal panels when the poured wall are constructed on site the forms are erected and maintained in spaced, parallel relationship with other panels. Fluid concrete is poured within the concrete forms, which are removed after the concrete has set and hardens. When the poured walls are produced off site individual wall sections are poured and then transported to the construction site.
If decorative and/or finish treatment can be applied on the face of the poured concrete surface increased value and attractive looks can be added to a structure. Time and expenses can be saved in troweling and decorative treatment of concrete walls when these activities can be performed near the same time as pouring and there is an adequate workable concrete layer on the exterior face of the poured concrete wall. An example of exterior facial treatment in one segment of the poured concrete wall industry is in tilt-up construction. In tilt-up wall construction walls are poured as a horizontal concrete slab, cured and then a crane is used to place the panel in place. In most pours the exterior face of the panel is poured first, face down. Tilt-up surface finishes include single and multi-use form liners, placed on the pouring surface or “bed” before the panel is poured, creating various patterns and textures to the exterior concrete surface. Also there are many color variations of stains and epoxy paints that can be applied to the exposed facial concrete surface. The speed to erect walls and to provide decorative facial finished in tilt-up construction enables tilt-up to be very competitive in larger “Big Box’ style structures such as lager stores, warehouses or distribution centers. The cost to crane lift the tilt-up slab wall in place is expensive and the architectural style and look of tilt-up structures is fairly limited due to the nearly flat repeated slab panel construction.
Another example of form liner usage in concrete wall pours is where the form liner is attached to the forming face or interior surface of a vertical wall concrete form before pouring. After the concrete vertical form is poured and hardened to the desired stiffness the form panels are removed and the form liner is stripped off.